Somatic Psychology: Using the Body to Heal the Mind with Elizabeth Ferreira

02.27.2023 - By Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Forrest Hanson Play

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Somatic therapist Elizabeth Ferreira returns to the podcast and joins Forrest for a deep dive into somatic psychology. They explore what a somatic therapy session looks like in practice, how it differs from traditional talk therapy, the connection between the body and the mind, and why people with complex trauma are sometimes better served by body-based approaches. Elizabeth then talks about how somatic therapy has supported her own journey with CPTSD and PMDD, and shares some of the practices that have helped her clients.

About our Guest: Elizabeth Ferreira is an associate therapist working in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her practice is open, and if you’d like to reach out to Elizabeth you can do so through Instagram. Elizabeth also has her own podcast, My Therapist's a Witch.

Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:45: What happens in a somatic therapy session?

5:00: Attunement and a quick demonstration

9:55: Moving slowly and navigating dissociative patterns

12:45: Cognitive bypassing and catharsis in letting go

15:40: Trauma and integrating alienated parts of ourselves

21:15: Elizabeth’s experience feeling anger

25:30: When the thing that brings you into therapy isn’t the root of your problem

29:00: Safety allowing comfort with feeling difficult feelings

31:40: Interoception, physical embodiment, and more on attunement

35:50: Clean and dirty pain, different parts, and appreciation

40:25: Resistance, joining with the defense, and compassion

44:50: Recap

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